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GLOBAL ENTERPRISE

Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Singapore and Beyond

As Asia's thought leader in innovation and enterprise, NUS Enterprise's work – to deliver experiential entrepreneurial education, forge active industry partnerships, provide comprehensive entrepreneurship support, drive catalytic entrepreneurship outreach, and be the bridge to industry for the University – has seen its footprint and impact extend well beyond Singapore's shores. Examples include:

News - 2017

NUS Enterprise, in partnership with Indonesia's Salim Group, has officially launched BLOCK71 Jakarta, its newest start-up incubation space in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 28 July. The 1,500 sqm facility was set up to support innovation and entrepreneurship development for both Singapore and Indonesian companies. Opened since March 2017, BLOCK71 Jakarta is already home to about 20 start-ups, half of which are from Singapore.

The third edition of InnovFest Suzhou, organised by National University of Singapore (Suzhou) Research Institute (NUSRI), Singapore-China (Suzhou) Innovation Centre and NUS Enterprise, took place at NUSRI from 6 to 7 June. In her keynote, Dr Lily Chan, CEO of NUS Enterprise, said that InnovFest was part of the University’s consistent efforts in helping Singapore start-ups and technologies in their first steps to venture into and initiate collaboration within China.

Innovfest unbound 2017 attracted a record crowd of over 10,000 delegates and visitors from more than 50 countries to meet and share ideas, build partnerships and celebrate digital disruption. The annual technology festival is Southeast Asia’s largest, which was held over two days from 3 to 4 May at Marina Bay Sands.

When NUS alumna Marilyn Chew first packed her bags with eight other NUS students for the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme in New York City in 2014, little did she know then that this one-year stint would eventually launch her career in the Big Apple.

“Six to seven years ago, we did not have any start-up scene in Singapore, but today it is totally transformed,” said Dr Lily Chan, CEO of NUS Enterprise, as she kicked off the final panel discussion titled “Fostering entrepreneurial inventors and innovators: what works?” at the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Universities Summit on 16 March. Sharing her secret to NUS' success, she said, "It's not just about nurturing entrepreneurs; you have to 'architect' the whole entrepreneurship space around the campus."

“Being resourceful and having grit is the entrepreneurial way. Even when circumstances are not favourable, entrepreneurs will persist and find a way to make things work. These are skills that can be applied if you’re an employee or a business founder,” said Mr Jeffrey Tiong, founder of Patsnap, an IP analytic and management platform, and one of many prominent start-ups to have emerged from NUS Enterprise’s incubation efforts. Recalling the founding of Patsnap 10 years ago, Jeffrey shared how he learnt skills like innovation, creativity and willingness to explore new opportunities when he participated in the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme between 2005 and 2006.

During his second year at NUS, NUS Overseas College programme graduate Mr Foo Tiang Lim spent a year attending entrepreneurship classes at Stanford University while interning for medical device manufacturer Second Source Medical. He described his time in the US as a life-changing experience that helped him develop Silicon Valley risk-taking values, as well as offered opportunities to attend lectures and rub shoulders with icons of entrepreneurship such as the founder of the “Lean Start-Up” movement, Mr Steve Blank; co-founder of LinkedIn, Mr Reid Hoffman; and co-founder of Apple, Mr Steve Jobs...

The Committee on the Future Economy (CFE) has released its report recommending seven strategies for Singapore’s economic development in the coming decade. The Committee also underscored the importance of deepening and diversifying Singapore’s international connections, to seek opportunities in new markets, strengthen economic cooperation and harness new ideas and innovation. The Committee’s slew of recommendations included the setting up of a Global Innovation Alliance, where institutes of higher learning and companies in Singapore can link up with overseas partners in major innovation hubs and key markets.

For NUS students Sre Vinod Seenivasan, Ron Teo De Zhao, Rafikah bte Mohamed Halim and Andre Tan, the highlight of their 2016 was spending much of the year immersed in an experience like no other at the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme in Silicon Valley, California...